Wednesday, July 28, 2010

USC Salkehatchie Is Pleased To Announce That Tatjana Slawson Has Joined The Campus As Head Women’s Softball Coach

Coach Slawson is originally from North Charleston where she played high school softball at Fort Dorchester High School. She played collegiate softball at Francis Marion University as well as at Charleston Southern University. She has a B.S. in Sociology from Francis Marion as well as a Master’s in Criminal Justice from Charleston Southern University. While playing at Francis Marion Coach Slawson was an FMU Academic All-American as well as on the Peach Belt Conference Student Athletes Presidential Roll as well as the Francis Marion Honor Roll. While playing at Charleston Southern, Coach Slawson was on the CSU Scholar Athlete 4.0 team, the CSU Honor Roll and CSU’s Who’s Who.

Her coaching experience includes being the head coach of the summer league Ohio Valley Hurricanes in Steubenville, Ohio; working as a graduate assistant for the Charleston Southern softball program; and serving as an assistant coach for North Carolina A&T State University.

“We are very pleased to have Tatjana Slawson become of a member of our USC Salkehatchie athletic department family,” says USC Salkehatchie athletic director, Jane Brewer. “She impressed us with both her desire to win and her emphasis on academics. Plus she is a very enthusiastic, energetic person with great people skills. We look forward to the 2010-2011 season with her on board.”

The USC Salkehatchie athletics Facebook page has continued to grow since we started the page only several months again and today we have hit another milestone with 300-members. If you are new to USC Salkehatchie athletics, please go to your Facebook account and search USC Salkehatchie Athletics and become a member today! You can find our page by clicking on the link located on the right hand side of the blog.

We will update the Facebook page throughout the season with scores, stats and other information about USC Salkehatchie athletics!

Let's make our Facebook page one of the largest among NJCAA schools on Facebook!

HILTON HEAD, S.C. -- The Peach Belt Conference announced that a record 1,079 student-athletes have been named to the 19th-annual Presidential Honor Roll.The list includes former USC Salkehatchie Indians softball player, Cea Knox (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina)

The Presidential Honor Roll recognizes all student-athletes at PBC institutions who had a grade point average of 3.00 or higher, based on a 4.00 scale, for the 2009-10 academic year. The honor roll is divided into four groups: Presidential Scholars (GPA of 3.00 to 3.24), Bronze Scholars (3.25 to 3.49), Silver Scholars (3.50 to 3.74), and Gold Scholars (3.75 to 4.00).“I continue to be proud of the way our student-athletes excel both on the playing field and in the classroom,” said FMU director of athletics Murray Hartzler.

Knox was recognised as a Gold scholar (3.75-4.00 GPA) for the Patriots.

She was named to the COSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American team while a member of the USC Salkehatchie Indians softball team.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Question 1: When you arrived here four years ago, you said the ultimate goal was to win an NCJAA National championship at Salkehatchie. How far along is the process?

A lot of things have to be in place to win a national championship, and I have some of those things in place at this point. The other things, you’ve got no control of, but despite all of the obstacles, I still think with all of the right pieces it can be done. We can get there, but we need to get the community more involved and by that I mean with support and with money. We have to do a little more with our fundraising and getting the community more involved would certainly help with that. We do what we do with no full scholarships, so we definitely have to fundraise a little more to offset schools that can do that sort of thing, but I still think that we can get it done here. We have a lot of things that a lot of other schools can’t offer as well.

Question 2: Your 2008-09 team captured a share of the Region X title in your second season here? Was there anything special about that team or did their success surprise you?

“It was a combination of both. When I got here I thought Year 3 was going to be the one, but I guess it just came a year early. It was very surprising on the one hand but I knew we had the talent. I think our leading scorer that year averaged 13 points per game, so we had great balance. I think we surprised some people and snuck up on some people too. I just wished we could have finished it out, because I thought that team had the size and the balance to get to Kansas at the national tournament and make a run.”

Question 3: A trend in you tenure at Salkehatchie has been an ability to get your teams playing their best basketball down the stretch. Last season, that wasn’t the case, when you finished up at 12-17. As you look back, what went wrong?

I put it on nature as funny as that sounds. We were in first place at the end of January, and we had a 12-day layoff. Then we come back and the snow comes down. We had a great week of practice and a big game on Friday night, but the closer we got the more excited everyone got about the snow. We didn’t play well that night or for the rest of the season. We had the opportunity to turn it around, but we never did. It was the worst season I’ve had as head coach or as an assistant. It’s still very disappointing. It was a bitter pill to swallow; because there was a point here we really had it going. But I guess you play 30 games for a reason.

Question 4: We’ve talked about your philosophy on recruiting in the past. It seems you don’t put any limitations on the kind of player you’d like to bring in. Why?

I’ve been doing this for a while, and everywhere I have been its’ mandatory to get the best guys. Granted, I have to sell it a little different here. Some schools give scholarships, but we have great academics here. You can come here and graduate and go anywhere you want, so I sell the academic side more than anything else. If you come to Salk, you’ve got the opportunity to take good classes with good teachers following the curriculum of the University of South Carolina. It’s still the luck of the draw at the end of the day, but the only thing we can do is have guys who graduate and show the track record for it. You also just try to not burn bridges. A guy might go to a bigger school, but it might not work out. You might get a second shot at him.”

Obviously, we want to get back to our winning way, and have a successful season from the beginning. Last year was not a great year, and it certainly didn’t meet my expectations. We just have to work harder and be more focused. We want to play well at the end of the year, but we have to get a little more consistency in November, December and January too.

Former USC Salkehatchie Indians baseball player Gary Owens currently with the Haysville Heat (Jayhawk baseball league-Kansas) won their Midwest Regional which qualifies them to compete in the NBC World Series.

Owens received all tournament team honors and tournament MVP.

To follow Gary and the Heat through the entire NBC World Series, click on the link below~

The Columbia Blowfish set two records in their 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the Florence RedWolves on Wednesday. Columbia set the single-season stolen base record when Nick Orvin stole second in the first inning. It was Columbia’s 145th stolen base of the year, which breaks the mark, set by Peninsula last year. Columbia’s... Branfy Arias also stole his 59th base of his career, breaking the Costal Plains League record held by Peninsula’s Eddie Van Es. Arias, is a 2009 graduate of USC Salkehatchie and currently plays at Tusculum University.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Dorking teenager, James Swaine has won a prestigious basketball scholarship to the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie. Whilst completing a business studies degree in the USA, he will play Division 1 basketball for the USC Salkehatchie Indians in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

James, aged 19, has always wanted to pursue a career in basketball, and is now one step closer to his dream. Whilst at the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie, James will be coached as part of the team and train every weekday, playing games at the weekend. Head coach Travis Garrett at USC Salkehatchie is, a highly respected coach with a reputation for selecting exceptional talent.

David Blow, Head of Ashcombe School which James attended, commented: “We were delighted to hear the news. James was a keen and talented basketball player at the school and we wish him well in this fantastic opportunity.”

Whilst at Ashcombe School, James, who is 6ft 4, trained several times a week with the Guildford Heat. Since joining the Heat Academy at the age of 15, he has played in both their Under 16s and Under 18s National League teams and was frequently the leading scorer in the team.

James comments, “I was delighted when I learned that Coach Garrett has offered me a place on his championship winning team. I look forward to showing what I can do, and will work tirelessly both on and off the court to achieve my ambition. “This opportunity is a big step for which I am grateful; it gives me the chance to take my game to the next level. If all goes well then I hope to progress and play at the very highest level”.

Coach Garrett added, “I'm truly looking forward and excited to having James as a member of our basketball family here at USC Salkehatchie. With hard work, I think he will become a very good player and have a chance of playing Division 1 basketball”.

James’ journey begins on 29th July 2010 when he leaves Dorking to move to South Carolina.

FLORENCE SC – It was a crazy night for baseball in Florence, SC Sunday night as the Blowfish fell to the Redwolves 9-8. But, as it turns out, it was also a historic night for CPL baseball.Branfy Arias (Tusculum University, pictured above in his USC Salkehatchie uniform) stole his 31st base of the summer in the fourth inning as part of a double steal. More importantly, it marked the 58th time in his CPL career that Arias has stolen a base, which ties him with Eddie Van Es (Peninsula 2007-08) for the CPL Career Stolen Base record.

That was not the only stolen base on the evening that had historical implications. Demontez Jones (Georgia Southern) stole second base with two outs in the ninth to push Columbia's team total on the season to 144. That stolen base also tied a CPL record, this one for most steals by a team in a single season. They are currently tied with last year's Peninsula Pilots with 12 games to play. The team and Arias will have their next opportunity to collect stolen bases number 145 and 58 respectively Wednesday July 21st, when the Blowfish take on the Morehead City Marlins at 7:05 at Capital City Stadium in Columbia.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Former USCSalkehatchie Indians shortstop Carlos Santana (Santo Domingo, DR) was selected as a member of the Southern Collegiate Baseball League All-Star team (Western Division). During the all-star game held in Spartanburg, South Carolina; Santana was 1-3 with a walk and scored both West runs, coming around on a single by Asheville’s Chris Allen in the seventh against the Owls’ Brennan Daniels. Only Santana hit safely representing the Tornado.

Santana plays on the Tennessee Tornado's. His 17 RBIs lead the team, along with his 24 overall hits, .552 slugging percentage and perfect 9-9 stolen base record. He’s tied for the most home runs with two, and his .358 is second behind Kenny Stalls’ .368.

Santana has committed to play with Tusculum University in the fall where he will join former USCSalkehatchie Indian Branfy Arias.

Training camp for the 2010 season will begin on Monday, August 2, and the Indians will face Brewton-Parker College in an exhibition match at 6 pm on August 14 in Mount Vernon, Georgia.

The team will play an exhibition match at home versus Wesleyan College at 6 pm on August 26.

On August 28 the Indians will kick off the regular season at 6 pm with an away game at Middle Georgia College in Cochran, GA. Their first regular season home match will be versus South Georgia College on August 31 at 4 pm. “We have the players to make a lot of noise in NJCAA Region X this year,” according to Glass, “how well we do will depend a lot on intangibles like team chemistry and our camaraderie on and off the field.”

Friday, July 9, 2010

The start of the 2010 college soccer season is right around the corner and that means that a lot of last minute details are being handled by both players and coaches. “This is the first time I can remember when I have been able to say, with one month left to go before we open camp, that I am done recruiting,” said Bill Glass, Head Soccer Coach for USC Salkehatchie. Glass has nine players returning from last year’s squad and has signed nine recruits, and so he can concentrate on the urgent administrative tasks that must be handled before the season starts rather than worrying about trying to sign another player or two. “I am happy with the squad we have and am ready to get on with it,” he says.

Glass is looking to surpass the success of the 2009 campaign when the Indians went 7-8-2. The 2010 team will miss several key players from the 2009 side including Lisa Routt and Ebony Davies who made first team all region last year and Nicole Fluker who was named second team all region. Therefore, the returning players and 2010 recruits will have their work cut out for them.

Two Australian players from last year’s squad will return to the Indians. Ashur Amai-Eden is an attacking player who is also a good defender when called upon to fill that role. Goalkeeper Zaf Papanikitas was named to the NJCAA Region X All-Region Second Team in 2009 in recognition of her strong play in the net. Another Aussie, freshman Jess Marchant, will also join the squad from down under for 2010. Jess is a center mid, she is good distributing the ball out of the midfield and in using her defensive skills to help break up counterattacks. Sophomore Soledad Bucaram, a forward from Ecuador, will round out the international contingent. “Sole was a big help to us up top and in the midfield last year and led the team academically as well,” said Glass.

Georgia will provide three players to the team. Jess McMains of Savannah comes in as a freshman and plays either stopper or sweeper. Dana Crews of Waynesville can play midfield or up top. Desiree Rosario, of Brunswick, will return to the team for her sophomore year after starting for the Indians at center back in 2009.

As always, the Indians look to South Carolina for most of their players. Returning to the squad from the Palmetto state for their sophomore year will be defender/forward Amanda Diaz of Beaufort, midfielder/defender Manny Floresca of Walterboro, and midfielder Nicole Evans, also from Walterboro. They will be joined by several freshman recruits including two forwards, Jessica Vido of Beaufort and April Cathcart of Bluffton. Devon Cocuzza, who is also from Bluffton, can play either goalkeeper or mid-field. Lashera Chisholm, another freshman who plays attacking midfielder, is from Chester, SC. The team also will feature Katelyn Cochran and Mary St. John two freshmen defenders from nearby Barnwell. “We are thrilled to have the support of the nearby communities, especially the South Carolina high school coaches and athletic directors who have been recommending our program to their soccer players,” said Glass.

Training camp for the 2010 season will begin on Monday, August 2, and the Indians will face Brewton-Parker College in an exhibition match at 6 pm on August 14 in Mount Vernon, Georgia.The team will play an exhibition match at home versus Wesleyan College at 6 pm on August 26.On August 28 the Indians will kick off the regular season at 6 pm with an away game at Middle Georgia College in Cochran, GA. Their first regular season home match will be versus South Georgia College on August 31 at 4 pm. “We have the players to make a lot of noise in NJCAA Region X this year,” according to Glass, “how well we do will depend a lot on intangibles like team chemistry and our camaraderie on and off the field.”

Thursday, July 8, 2010

The outlook for the USC Salkehatchie Indians men’s soccer team for the 2010 season is bright. “Recruiting was lagging during the early part of the spring,” according to Bill Glass, Head Soccer Coach for USC Salkehatchie, “but that changed dramatically as the end of the high school soccer season came and players started focusing on finding a soccer home for the fall.” As of this writing, the Indians have received commitments from 17 recruits who will be joining nine returning players to make up the 2010 squad. “I am very pleased with this recruiting class and with the players we have returning,” said Glass. “I expect us to be solid at every position and to have a reliable reserve corps.”

Alexander Dowling, Warren Weyer, David Williams, Quame Dunbar, Jamie Heasman, Ahmo Ibrahimovic, John Luka Joseph, Cam Mixson, and JJ Mobley are the returning players for 2010. “These players have all been instrumental in building up this young program,” according to Glass. “They all have gained valuable experience playing college soccer for the Indians.” Joseph at left back was named honorable mention all-region last year, Williams at center back made second team all-region. Ahmo Ibrahimovic scored eight goals for the team and had four assists playing up top in 2009.

Joining the team as freshman will be five players from Beaufort including striker NashBrace, goalkeeper Michael Bustard, defender Hayden Cormier, and midfielders JonathanParker and Sam Earney. Another midfielder, Kenneth Vargas from Bluffton will also be joining the squad. “I am thrilled with the players we are getting from the Low Country,” said Glass. “They have been playing together and against each other for years andwill have no trouble getting in sync once they are all wearing Salkehatchie jerseys.”

The 2010 team will also get some help from upstate. Rene Beteta, a midfielder, and Jose Mireles come to the Indians from perennial prep soccer powerhouse South Aiken High School. Dustin Kyle Maglich played his prep ball at Andrews High School. “Rene, Dustin and Jose are all very well schooled soccer players who will bring a lot of soccer savvy to the program,” according to Glass.

Jonathan Winn, a defender from nearby Hampton, has also committed to play soccer atSalkehatchie. “I have seen Jonathan play several times,” said Glass. “He is one of those guys who you can count on to play hard every minute he is out there.”

Over the years Glass has had some great soccer players come from Georgia and Florida.This year the city of Jacksonville will make the biggest contribution to Salk’s 2010 recruiting class, sending six of their finest up I-95 to join the squad. Center back Admir Vakufac, goalkeeper Velmir Vejzovic, striker Estaban Cobo, midfielder Danial Velasquez, and midfielder Shawn Rouf will bring their talents to Salk. “These guys played high school and club soccer together in North Florida and have seen their teams win championships and heard their names called out for individual awards many times,” said Glass. “They all have the skills to make their mark on the NJCAA and then move on to the NCAA. They just have to make the grades; the key to their soccer future will be in the classroom.” Patrick Reed, a goalkeeper from Panama City, will represent West Florida at Salk. “Patrick is an experienced keeper who should see significant time between the pipes for the Indians this year,” said Glass.

Striker Mohamed Fall and mid-fielder Javier Pace will constitute the Georgia contingentfor 2010. “Since I am from Georgia myself, I naturally expect big things from both Fall and Pace,” said Glass. The Indians will also feature several players from overseas. Australia will send midfielders Corey Macfarlane and Jack Jemison, Jamaica will provide defender Andre McFarlane. “I have not seen these internationals play in person,” said Glass, “but I expect good things from them based on video, coaches’ recommendations and their soccer resumes.”

The new players and returning players have all been given summer conditioning programs and can anticipate a fitness test upon arrival at USC Salkehatchie to begin training camp on August 2. The team will play its first exhibition match away at Brewton-Parker College on August 14 at 4 pm. Next, they will travel up to Aiken to playa friendly with USC Aiken at the Pacer Pit on August 21 at 5:30 pm. The Indians will kick off the regular season at Middle Georgia College on August 28 at 4 pm. They will play their home opener on September 4 at 1 pm versus NJCAA Region X foe Spartanburg Methodist College. “We could have a very special year with this group,” said Glass, “provided that we can blend all these players from all these different places into one cohesive unit - that is both the challenge and the opportunity that awaits us.”

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Jess Marchant of Queensland, Australia will be playing soccer for the USC Salkehatchie women’s soccer team come August. Marchant was brought to the attention of Salk Head Soccer Coach Bill Glass by a scouting service based in Australia. After viewing video and checking references on this promising athlete Glass offered her a spot on the roster. “Jess has the soccer background we look for,” said Glass, “she has played club and high school soccer and is dedicated to the game.” Marchant started playing soccer while in grammar school and was later selected to play travel soccer for the Taringa Rovers Youth Football Academy.

During her high school years she represented her old school St Peter’s Lutheran on the pitch. Now Marchant will be taking another step in her soccer career. ``I can’t believe it happened it’s amazing. It is (a big move), but I’m really excited. The only thing I’m sad about is leaving my friends and family so soon,’‘ said Marchant.

Taringa Premier League and Academy coach Joe Fenech said the offer was a huge opportunity for the centre mid-fielder.``The college system in the States is among the best in the world,’’ he said.

For the second time in three weeks, Carlos Santana (Santo Domingo, D.R.)was named the Player of the Week.Santana is currently second in the league in RBIs after he drove in seven runs this weekend to get to 17 overall, trailing Lake Norman’s Ryan Stetson by four. Friday was Santana’s big day as he followed a 2-3 Game 1 at the Carolina Chaos with a 3-4 Game 2 including a three-run home run, a double and four total RBIs. He drove in a run in each game against Morganton, helping Tennessee sweep the doubleheader 4-3 and 7-3.

Santana’s 17 RBIs lead the team, along with his 24 overall hits, .552 slugging percentage and perfect 9-9 stolen base record. He’s tied for the most home runs with two, and his .358 is second behind Kenny Stalls’ .368. Santana also has five doubles, a triple and 12 runs scored.

Congratulations to Carlos Santana and the entire USCSalkehatchie athletic department is proud of his accomplishments so far this summer.

Carlos will attend Tusculum College( Greeneville, Tenn.) and play baseball next season.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Former USC Salkehatchie Indians baseball player Oliver Santos is having a big summer with the Billings Mustangs (Billings, Montana) of the Rookie Pioneer league. Santos was drafted last year by the Cincinnati Reds and spent his first season with the Sarasota Reds in Sarasota Florida. So far this season with the Mustangs, Santos is batting .359 in 39 at-bats with 3 doubles and 4 RBI's. The USC Salkehatchie Indians athletic department wishes Oliver the best of luck this season and beyond. I will keep everyone updated on his progress throughout the summer!

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Former USC Salkehatchie Indian-Ali Williams

USC Salkehatchie Salutes you on being drafted by the Kansas City Royals (MLB)

2009-2010 Region X Player of the Year, Brandon Riley

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NJCAA Div. 1 All-American 2009-10

Don't Forget Concessions Sold at Every Home Game!!

The USC Salkehatchie athletic department will have concessions at all home games. We offer a variety of items. All proceeds help pay for travel throughout the season for each team.

USC Salkehatchie March 2010 NJCAA College of the Month

The National Junior College Athletic Association featured USC Salkehatchie as its College of the Month for March 2010. USC Salkehatchie is featured on the cover and in a two page article inside the magazine. The magazine, the NJCAA Review, is mailed to the 500 plus NJCAA member colleges nationwide each month. Click on the photo of the cover above to view the cover and read the article.

2012 USC Salkehatchie Baseball Stats online~

If you would like to view USC Salkehatchie baseball stats, click on NJCAA logo above~

2012 USC Salkehatchie Softball Stats online~

If you would like to view the 2012 USC Salkehatchie softball stats, click on NJCAA logo above~

2011-2012 USC Salkehatchie Basketball Stats online~

If you would like to view USC Salkehatchie basketball stats, click on NJCAA logo above~

If you would like to view USC Salkehatchie mens NJCAA soccer stats from the current, 2012 soccer season, click photo above~

If you would like to view USC Salkehatchie womens NJCAA soccer stats from the current 2012 soccer season, click photo above

Did you play at USC Salkehatchie? Contact us!

We are looking for former USC Salkehatchie athletes! If you played for USC Salkehatchie, we would love to hear from you. We are putting together a complete list of former athletes for our records and to keep you informed about the happenings within USC Salkehatchie athletics.

On www.uscsalkathletics.com you will notice an all-time records list on each sports page. If you have any information to disprove the records, we hope you will contact us, so we can correct the error.

We look forward to hearing from you! To contact us send your name and address to Tkinard@mailbox.sc.eduor call us at1-800-922-5500 ex 268